


Chell's Lament

by Bumblewish



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Camping, Character Study, Chell doesn't refer to GLaDOS or Wheatley by name, Chell has feelings, Gen, Optimistic Ending, Post-Game, kind of, more of a drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bumblewish/pseuds/Bumblewish
Summary: Chell finds that she can no longer suppress her feelings after GLaDOS lets her free.
Kudos: 9





	Chell's Lament

That little shed had just disappeared behind the horizon when Chell began to reel from her experiences over the last three days. It was bad enough that she eventually relented and sat down onto her Companion Cube to think. Luckily, there were no robots watching, just the gently swaying wheat. Actually, she wasn’t quite sure if this was all real. She doesn’t exactly remember being outside all too well. 

Her biggest concern right now was surviving the night. Beyond that, she probably needed time to think. Time was a resource she now had thanks to maybe being free from Her. However, that didn’t apply to how much daylight she had left. She stood up and carried her Companion Cube with her as she looked for a safe place to rest. 

The wheat petered out a while ago and Chell had propped herself against a tree as the sun gradually sank lower into the horizon. The Companion Cube was settled a few feet away. To Chell, that sunset was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. Aperture was usually lacking aesthetically aside from maybe those murals left behind. For the first time ever, at least as far as she could remember, she smiled. 

Night came much too quickly for Chell’s liking and the former test subject was subjected to watching the moon. Looking at the moon made Chell feel bad because that’s where He is. Chell thought that He was a well-meaning core, although a bit annoying, until He wasn’t. He changed after the core transfer, but so did She. It seemed like an obvious fact that Her chassis had some toxic quality within. While His mood had definitely soured, She was an entirely different person… literally! 

Chell didn’t know what to make of Caroline and She never gave her any time to get to know the former human. She had deleted Caroline just before sending her up to the surface. Chell glazed over at the Companion Cube. Perhaps, the turret opera could’ve been planted beforehand, but the Companion Cube seemed to say something about Her current state. 

Chell laid on her back in the short grass alongside the Companion Cube and sighed. Perhaps She’d be fine. Maybe She was happy. Chell thought about it for another minute. She was definitely GLaD to see Chell gone. 

Chell took another look at the moon. The mute woman wondered if He would even be visible from where she was. A good long minute told her that He wasn’t but she knew He was up there. Thinking about Him made her feel really guilty. The former test subject admitted to herself that she did regret sending Him into lunar orbit, but at least he’s not going to die from a nuclear meltdown or get tortured by Her. It had occurred to Chell a while ago that She had really wanted to see Him hurt. 

At the very least, Chell had come to realize, they were all alive. Chell may have regrets over Him and an unhealthy fear of Her, but they were no longer around to govern her choices. She was a free woman now. With that in mind, she finally let herself fall into natural sleep. 

Chell woke up with her arms wrapped around her Companion Cube and wet grass on her cheek. The sun was rising and so should she. She picked the Companion Cube and continued walking in the direction opposite to which she came. She knew she’d spend many more days thinking about Him and Her. She knew she had many complex feelings about her experiences down There. However, She had let Chell go and she had finally acquired her freedom. It was about time she made her own choices and lived her own life. She was going to make the best of it.


End file.
